Loose-leaf ledger.



No. 693,767. Patented Feb. I8,`|902.

A. v. wLLs LOOSE LEAF LEDGER.

{Application filed Nov.. 1, 1901.) (No Model.) A 3 Sheets-$hoet I.

unnumn A TTOHNE XS No. 693,767. y Patented Feb. I8, |902.

A. V. WELLS. LOOSE LEAF LEDGER.

(Application filed Nov. 1, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

. l /N VEN 7'0H .iV/ma FPi/76M.

ATTORNEYS Pafemd Feb. |48, |902.

A. V. WELLS.

LOGSE LEAF LED'GER.

(Applicatign med Nov. 14, 1901.)

3 Sheath-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S A Tron/v5 ys ICE@ ALBION V. VELLS, OF VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

LOOSE-LEAF LEDGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 693,767, dated February 18, 1902.

Application filed November l, 1901. Serial No. 80,820. (No model.)

' able thing to do whenever an account becomes dead or a sheet torn or disligured with a blot. My invention is an improvement in this class of devices which is applicable to all kinds of blank books and which also is so constructed as to permit the leaves of the book when opened to lie flat in convenient position for the accountant or bookkeeper instead of bending with an inconvenient curve in the middle of the book.

It consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of the parts of the book, which I will now proceed to fully describe with reference to the drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of the bookframe open and with only a part of the leaves in place. Fig. 2 is a section through the middle of the back of the book, taken parallel to the leaves. Fig. 3 is atransverse section through the back of the book on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 are details. Fig. 0 is a modification of one of the leaf attachments. Fig. lO is a cross-section through the back ofthe book with all the leaves in place. Fig. ll is a perspective view of the rest or curved rocker-strip at the back of the book. Fig. l2 is a perspective view of the back of the book, showing where and how the rocker-strip is applied. Fig. 13 is a face view of two specially tough blank thumb-leaves for sustaining the strain in opening the book, and Fig. 14 is a detail view of an adjustable bail as constructed for increasing the size of the book.

In the drawings, A represents the loose leaves of the ledger, which at their fastening edges are formed with two elongated slots a @,running up and down the page. These slots form retaining eyelets or keepers for two transversely arranged swinging bails B B,

which at their ends are journaled in bearings in the inner edges D D of the book-covers C C. These leaves may be secured to or removed from the bails by passing the slots a over the ends of the bails when one end is freed, as hereinafter described, and these bails swing in unison from a position where they project upwardly at right angles tothe back when the book is open, as in Figs. l and l0, to a position parallel to and tlat down against the back, as in Figs. 2 and 3, when the book is closed. rlhe bails swing automatically from the pull and thrust of the leaves in opening and closing the book, and it is the uplift of the bails in opening and the bend or crease in the leaves along the line z, Figs. l and l0, that enables the sheets to lie fiat when open without the curve or inward bend ordinarily found in a bound book. The sheets of the book are thus enabled when open to lie in a iiat plane, greatly promoting the convenience of entries by the accountant. The object in making the slots a elongated up and down the page is to permit the traverse of the bail therein as it swings through an arc of ninety degrees, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. In closing the book the bails move toward each other, and to promote smoothness of action and avoid unequal strain on the leaves the two bails are geared to operate in unison. This is best shown in Figs. 3 to 6, in which l) b are two double-flanged spools or sleeves which have holes through them that receive the ends of the bails, said ends of the bails being made with one flat side (shown on the right of Fig. 4f and also in Fig. 7) or of angular cross-section, so as to rotate rigidly with the spools and still be separable therefrom.

E is a connecting-bar, which at one end is hinged to a pin between the danges of one spool Z9 and at the other end is similarly hinged to a pin between the flanges ofthe other spool b, with this difference, that the opposite ends of the said bar E are hinged to the opposite sides of the two spools, so that the spools are coupled for a reverse motion, which is necessary in order to allow the bails to be arranged near the top and bottom of the book and fold toward each other, thus permitting the bails to be properly placed in relation to the leaves and also neutralizing the thrust of the bails on the leaves. The spools b turn at their ends freelyin bearings in a rectangular metal frame F, which incloses the bar E and also certain locking devices for detachably securing the ends of the hails in the spools, so that they will not accidentally come out. purpose each end of each bail is provided with a transverse slot or bolt-seat b', Figs. 3 and 7, and each spool h has on its side a corresponding slot b2, Fig. 6, immediately opposite the bolt-seat b in the bail end when the latter is in the spool. When these slots b h2 are thus in coincidence, a bolt d in the frame F at each end is arranged to be projected into said coinciding slots, as seen at the top of Fig. 3 andthe right hand of Fig. l, to lock the bail in the spool, but still allow the latter to turn in the slot h2, Fig. 6, which slot extends far enough around the spool to permit this. These bolts are formed on sliding plates d', arranged in guides on the frame F, and

are projected or withdrawn by a long rod e,A

which extends the full length of the frame F parallel thereto and has at each end a pin c', arranged to bear against the cam-face of a sleeve e2 on the bolt-plate CZ, so that the rotation ot' the rod e will shoot or withdraw the bolts. This rod e is formed with asquare end e4 to receive a key, and this end is accessible to receive the key, as seen in Fig. l, through a hole in the end of each pocket-frame D nearest the bookkeeper.

The frame F is detachable from and slides within a pocket in the inner edges D of the book-covers, and one side of the frame F is cut in two transversely, as seen at f, Fig. 5, and is sprung out slightly, so that the middle of the frame F expands as a spring and slides snugly with some friction in the pockets of the cover edges D. This severance atf of the frame-bar also permits the sides of the frame to be sprung apart far enough to remove the spools b from between the same and to place them in position again.

The pockets of the side edges D of the cover are lined with metal, and the flexible leather portion of the cover connects therewith, so as to form the hinging or bending line of the covers. The pockets in the edges D have holes in their inner sides to permit the protrusion therethrough of the ends of the bails in connecting with the locking devices within the pockets.

Both the edges D D of the book-cover are equipped exactly alike except that the one at the last page of the book (bottom of Fig. 3) has no spools b and bar E for connecting the bails, it being obviously unnecessary to haveA more than one set of such devices for giving unison of movement and a reversed action to the bails. Y

The back of the book is composed of two metal sections G G, (see Figs. l and 12,) secured, respectively, to the inner faces of the parts D D of the cover, and these sections For this have telescoping end portions that slide one over the other. The back of the book is provided with a detachable rocker-section Z, Fig. 1l, which forms the bearing edge or rest and gives the necessary elevation to the middle part of the book, no matter at what point it may be opened. This rocker-section is preferably made of wood and has at each edge a rabbet which laps over the back edges of the pocket-frames D, as seen in Fig. l0. This rocker-strip is adjustably held to the telescoping sections G G/ and the pocketframes D as follows, reference being had to Figs. l1 and l2: Out of the sheet metal of the telescopic section G there are punched two metal tongues y y, these tongues being formed by the material punched out of the slots y/ y', which tongues are bent twice, so as to offset them from the back of G. Similar tongues Qc are punched from slots Qc of the section G. Corresponding channelways yy2 are formed transversely i n the wooden rocker-back Z to receive these tongues y and fr, so that when the two halves of the bookback are slipped together telescopically the tongues x and q/ enter the slots y2 and hold the rocker-back in place. 'Set-screws g3 are provided/to fix the tongues in the channelways, and this'permits of the centralizing of the rocker on the back when the book is to be increased in size.

To hold the leaves of the book even at the top and bottom of the book, a rectangular inclosing frame H, Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 8, of sheet metal, incloses and houses the bail and the inner edges of the leaves and fits at the ends closely against the leaves. Separate wings h at the ends are slidably connected to the ends of the frame H and have inturned lips Z, Figs. l and 2, that penetrate between the leaves of the book at the top and bottom in the exact middle of the book, so as to hold the wings h in the middle of the book, and as the wings are by means of slots n and pins fm, Fig. 8, slidably connected to the ends of the frame H it will be obvious that an increased number of leaves may be put in the book at any time and the wings 71, be still adjusted to the middle of the book by simply placing the lips Zinto the middle of the book as thus increased in thickness by a fresh accession of leaves.

When leaves are to be removed from the book or additional ones inserted, one set of ends of the bails are unlocked by the key, the telescopic sections of the book separated, and one set of ends of the bails being thus freed any number of leaves may be slipped oit over the ends of the bails and fresh ones put on. To permit this, the leaf-evening frame H is made in two parts and may be swung over around its pins connecting with the end wings, so as to be out of the way of the ends of the bail. Such frame H when the book is closed is held in place by holes i t', Figs. l and 3, which are slipped over the ends of the bails. Vhen the two covers of the book, with their lOO IIC

eeavev telescopic back-sections, are released by the locking devices, the two telescopic sections are at once forced apart by springs s, Figs. l and 3. This facilitates the opening ot the hack-sections by causing them to separate instantly as soon as unlocked.

As the bails of my book are pulled out by the leaves in opening I provide means for relieving such strain on the leaves by two thu mh sheets or pages of oil-board or other thicker and tougher material than paper. These are shown at V V in Fig. 13 and are inserted about the middle ofthe book. They are wider than the hook-leaves, which latter are shown in dotted lines behind the sheet V, but are somewhat shorter. They do not have two slots for connection with the bail, hut simply a hole o at one end and 'a slot a2 at the other end of twice the length of a in Fig. l. The right-hand sheet V has a downward sliding movement in closing the book and the lefthand one an upward sliding movement, because they are pivotally anchored to the hails at c, and consequently the slot d2, which embraces the bail at the other end, must he twice as long as in Fig. l. These sheets are made wider than the hook-leaves, so as to be grasped at the edges with the thumbs in opening the book, and are made shorter than the hookleaves, so that they will disappear within the pages and will never project beyond the top and bottom margin of the leaves in any position.

In modifying my invention I may, as in Fig. dispense with the cutting of the slots a inthe leaves and apply to the edge of each leaf an elongated loop or keeper a', which shall receive the bail, the important and distinctive feature of my invention being the connection of the leaves to movable hails which by the opening of the book throws the hails out and projects the anchorage of the innel' leaves of the book outwardly to make the inner parts of the leaves lie flat. In Fig. le I also show a modification of the bail B, in which it is made in two parts connected eX- tensihly by a right and left screw-threaded section it, which gives elongation to the bail for increasing the size of the book.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A book havingI leaves with elongated keepers along their inner edges, combined with hails extended through said keepers and swinging outwardly when the hook is opened.

2. A book having leaves with vertical slots along their edges, combined with hails extended through said slots and swinging outwardly when the book is opened.

3. A book having leaves with elongated keepers along their inner edges, combined with hinged hails extended through said keepers, and devices .for locking or releasing the ends of the hails.

4. A book having leaves with elongated keepers along their inner edges, combined with bails extended through said keepers, and coupling devices for connecting the hails for an equal and reversed movement.

5. A book having leaves with elongated keepers along their inner edges, combined with hails securing said leaves and journaled in the back of the hook, wings at the top and bottom of the leaves, and a frame for the same locked in place by the protrusion of the hails therethrough.

G. The combination with a hook having detachable leaves, with elongatedkeepers along their inner edges and hinged hails working therein, of a leaf-evener arranged at the end of the leaves.

7. The combination with a hook having detachable leaves; of a leaf-evener arranged at the end of the leaves and having a lip adapted to he caught between the leaves of the hook at the middle of the thickness of the same.

8. A book having detachable leaves, and a bail securing the same arranged transversely to the leaves, swiveling spools connected to the hails, a frame receiving the spools, and pockets for receiving said frames located in the inner edge of the covers of the hook.

9. A book having detachable leaves, and a bail securing the same arranged transversely to the leaves, swiveling spools detachably connected to the hails, a frame receiving the spools, locking-bolts for locking the hails in the spools, and a longitudinally-arranged rod with key end connected to and operating the locking-bolts.

lO. A book having detachable leaves, and transverse hails securing the same, swiveling spools detachably connected to the hails, a longitudinally-arranged frame receiving said spools and having locking-bolts and a parallel operating-rod for the same, said frame being bisected transversely on one side to give it spring action, and the hook-covers having pockets along their inner edges adapted to receive the expansible frame.

1l. A loose-leaf hook, comprising a swinging hail, and sheets anchored thereto and having a longitudinal crease or hinging-line in each sheet outside of said anchorage-point substantially as described.

l2. A loose-leaf book having its hack portion made of two telescopic metal sections, each having inwardly-pointing transverse tongues, and a rocker-hack having transverse channels to receive the tongues,and set-screws for adj ustahly locking the parts together substantially as described. i

13. In a book of the kind described, the combination with the swinging anchoragehails; of one or more thumb-sheets of tenacious material made wider than the leaves of the book and arranged about the middle of the book to hear the stress of strain in opening the hook substantially as described.

14:. In a book of the kind described, the combination with the swinging anchorage- IOO IIO

hails; 0f one or more thumb-sheets of tenztswinging anchorage-bail made extensible in cious material made wider and shorter than its length, and combined with the adjustable the book-page and having one end pvotally book-sections substantially as described. anchored to one bail and the other end slotted ALMON V. WELLS.

5 and embracing the other bail substantially as \Vitnesses:

described. SOLON C. KEMON,

15. In a book of the kind described the J. MIDDLETON. 

